General Question

Where would you recommend living in London?

I’ll be moving to the UK later this year to study at uni in central London. Any British Flutherers (?) out there that can recommend good areas to live? Hoping to live not further than zone two if poss.

8 Answers

Don’t have any recommendations but I wanted to wish you luck and hope you like a lot of rain. I went there for a month years back and it rained everday except the day I arrived. I don’t think I could live with that much rain in my life on a long term basis.

I do know the Tube is great and is easily taken from a lot of towns outside the city.

Then you will fit right in, I will never forget after being there a week and the sky opening up everyday I just gave up and put my hair in a ponytail instead of drying and hairspraying it. I figured whats the point in going through all the work of doing my hair only for it to wind up in a ponytail a short time later.

I did love taking the site seeing tours on the double decker busses, its a great way to understand the city. You can buy a couple day passes where you can get on and off any where you want through the city. I did a similar thing when I went to Paris, now there is a city I would love to live in.

I lived in london for 2 years. It is a very beautiful city but very expensive to live in.

If you don’t have a good source of income I don’t recommend you go.

In london living accomodations are alot smaller than in the US. You will end up paying at least 1600 pounds per month for a decent two bedroom apartment close to the London itself.

If you want to live in a really nice neighbourhood in west London which is what is traditionally associated with London when people think of London you will end up paying at least 1800 to 2500 pounds per month for a 2 bedroom but the commute to central London may be longer.

It will be very difficult to find a pretty affordable place within zone 1 and 2. I am a professional. And even most highly paid professionals live outside of London. Zone 1 and 2 is where the main financial , shopping and tourist attractions in the city are.

That is why London is known to be a city where people commute alot to work everyday. It is very similiar to New York except food is more expensive.

It is a nice place to live for students though or young professionals. It is a good once in a lifetime experience. You just have to have a good salary.

That being said you if you say you are going as a student then you can look into student accomodation. The cost tends to be cheaper and can be in good locations but it is probably very competitive.

The shoreditch/Aldgate area is very close to central London and is popular with students but prices and the type of appartment you can get can vary considerably. Shoreditch area is very up and coming trendy though and lots of places to go out at night.

Sharing a flat with someone might be your best option.

You also need to take into account the cost of travel. Public transport , especially the underground is quite expensive. You can end up paying at least 250 pound per month to travel on it every day. That is at least. The further you go away from central London the more it costs.

Please do not cycle. London is not Amsterdam It is very unsafe for cyclists. When I lived there every month at least one person got run over and killed on the city streets. When I was leaving they were even having public campaigns for the government to improve the cycling system. You don’t want your parents to have to fly over to London to pick up your dead body because you got hit by a truck cycling to school. It is very sad and it happens often. Be careful.

The city bikes though are a very cheap option for getting around but you have to be very very cautious. Don’t take any risks whatsoever and be alert. Do not cycle with your headphones on.

But the more west you go the more you might need a car and the train prices increase.

Also alot of young professionals are moving to Putney recently (more south). There is nice too. Also nearby Fullham can be nice too.

Richmond/ Kew gardens is very pretty but kinda far out. More suitable for families . As not much to do.

Some parts of Wimbledon are nice too if you like green.

Pimlico is also nice in some areas.

I think Clapham is overrated but popular and good for going out.

Warwick Avenue is very posh but nice too .

Angel and Camden area is also popular with young people and students . But Angel is more expensive. It is nice there. Camden is very crowded on weekends with students but alot of places to eat and markets on weekends. Barbican and Farringdon are nice too. They are also close to this area.

Highbury is nice too but a bit far out. It is where Mr. Bean used to live in the actual Mr. Bean show. haha.

Maryleborne and Baker street area is nice too.

Chalk Farm , Belsize Park is very very posh. Where alot of rich people live but you can find affordable too.

I honestly don’t recommend living in very East london but you can save alot of money by living there.But there is nothing to do on weekends and if takes a long time to get home if you go out . Don’t liver further than Aldgate east in East London. I think nicest places in East London are Shoreditch and Aldgate for students as you can go to Brick Lane market on weekends and also nice places to hang out in shoreditch.

You can live in Canary Wharf in East London which is the 2nd financial district. It has alot of modern apartments but I think it is too far out and more for professionals that want to be close to work.

Ok enough for now. ha

If you are just going as a student it might be a nice experience to just get a really small apartment or apartment share in a really nice area in West London . That way you can experience the nice parts of London and will have fond memories except for the size of your apartment ha !!

Zone 2 actually goes out quite a way so you probably could find somewhere without having to go out as far as zone 3 and beyond. Places like Camden, Chalk Farm, Hampstead, Finsbury Park, Hackney, East Acton, Fulham; all in zone 1 or 2 and all in North London which is better served by the tube than the south side. I can’t recommend Chalk Farm unless you can really afford nothing better; Camden and Fulham are the boroughs I know best and if I were to live there again I’d have no worries about living in either of them.

Your university will be able to guide you to finding accommodation.

If you need a stopgap emergency accommodation when you first arrive, try the Generator hostel near Tavistock Square. Very cheap, and central – near to Euston and Kings Cross and just a short walk to the University of London from there. I’ve stayed at the Generator a few times; it’s very very basic and is really a backpackers hostel but it will do in a pinch until you find your feet.